Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/952089
school is built, (students) will come," said Anne Beaulieu, a Fayetteville High School teacher who spoke at an Arkansas Ed- ucation Association event last month in Springdale. "They now have options, and those options are aggressively pursuing them." Districts have responded by offering op- tions of their own, including conversion charter schools. There are eight in North- west Arkansas, according to the Arkansas Department of Education. One of those is the Fayetteville Virtual Academy, an online school which serves more than 200 students in grades four through 12. While most of the academy's students are from Fayetteville, others live in Springdale, Bentonville and other districts. Rogers' New Technology High School, which opened in 2013, emphasizes proj- ect-based learning. The state's Charter Authorizing Panel voted unanimously in December to renew the school's charter for five years. The Rogers Honors Academy is not a school, but a program designed to help high-performing students explore career choices and find the best colleges for them. The academy, launched in 2016, has inducted about 400 students. It is available to students at each of the district's three high schools who have at least a 3.7 grade point average and are taking at least two Advanced Placement, pre-Advanced Place - ment or college-level courses. Debbie Jones, superintendent of Benton- ville Schools, recently spoke of the "amaz- ing" opportunities available to Bentonville students, including dozens of clubs at the district's two high schools. "Every student can find something, whether that's robotics, whether that's tin- kering within the school," Jones said. "We have a place for everyone." The Springdale School District's Don Tyson School of Innovation, another con- version charter school, opened in fall 2014 at The Jones Center. It moved to its Hylton Road facility for the 2016-17 school year. The School of Innovation began with on- ly eighth-graders and will welcome its first senior class this fall. The Springdale School Board last year approved gradually adding sixth and seventh grades to the school and roughly doubling its size — roughly 143,000 square feet — in a project officials have said will cost at least $35 million. The school allows students to learn and master required skills at their own pace and delve into their interests with teacher guidance. Jim Rollins, Springdale's superintendent, said the district emphasizes a culture where every one of the district's 23,000 children is important. "It doesn't matter to us whether a child comes from across the street or across the ocean. When they get to the school house door, they are one thing: They are our chil- dren," Rollins said. Dave Perozek can be reached at dperozek@ nwadg.com or on Twitter @NWADaveP. v Continued from preceding page The School of Innovation, in its fourth year, has more than 700 stu- dents in grades seven through 11. It will have a senior class for the first time this fall. Students choose from seven career-study paths. They have options to earn workforce certif- icates, participate in internships and finish high school with both a diploma and an associate degree from Northwest Arkansas Com- munity College. Business officials' input led to creation of the school's model, Rollins said. Bentonville's Ignite program, in its third year, immerses high school juniors and seniors in real experiences in a professional en- vironment with support from a fa- cilitating teacher and professional mentors. The district launched Ignite with one information technology class of about 15 students. It has expanded to involve 200 students in classes covering eight careers: information technology, digital design/photography, health sci- ences, digital video, construction, culinary arts, education and global business. "This is what the workforce looks like in our area. That's a key component," said Teresa Hudson, Ignite director. "We're looking for workforce gaps that people are talking to us about and saying, 'How do we start students younger in these particular career paths?'" Ignite students are preparing themselves to be successful either in college or a career straight out of high school, Superintendent Deb- bie Jones said. Jones and Bentonville School Board members are considering adding as much as 20,000 square feet to West High School to pro- vide a single space for the Ignite program. Most classes meet in a variety of places away from the two high schools' campuses. The Rogers School District has substantially increased career and technical programs and the num- ber of students taking them in the past several years, said Dawn Stew- art, career and technical education director. "We continue to partner with local business and industry so we can do our best to align our work- force programs with the opportu- nities available," Stewart said. One example is a partner- ship launched this school year with Hope Medical Partners for students to earn personal care assistant certification. Students complete an academic portion that consists of 26 hours of online modules. Then they receive hands- on skills instruction from a regis- tered nurse. The class is offered at no charge. Adults are invited to take the class but must pay $150, Stewart said. Rogers is preparing to offer a course in unmanned aerial systems — drones — though it's unclear when that will become available. A drone program is being pi- loted at 14 schools across the state. Springdale's School of Innovation is the only one of those 14 that's in Northwest Arkansas, according to Cheryl Wiedmaier, an associate di- rector at the Arkansas Department of Career Education. Wiedmaier said she wasn't certain when the drone class will become available to the rest of the state's schools, but that it proba- bly would be within the next five years. "We look at leaving it on pilot status until we get all the curric- ulum and all the standards as we need them to be," she said. Rogers has teachers who have completed the necessary training and acquired Federal Aviation Administration certification to pi- lot drones. The district has three drones that may be used for pre- sentations or in activities in relat- ed career and technical courses, Stewart said. Drones are used in a variety of fields, from medical to engineering to photography, Stewart said. Fayetteville School District maintains firm relationships with business and industry leaders to stay informed on workforce needs, said Lisa Hotsenpiller, career and technical education director. Fayetteville High School is adding a medical professions program next year. Students will take a yearlong foundations of health care course — designed to introduce students to medical professions and basic first-aid and patient treatment skills — and a semester-long medical terminol- ogy course. Nearly 4,000 Fayetteville stu- dents in grades five through 12 are involved in some kind of career course. Fayetteville High's agriculture department each year holds its Agri Night, where college and university representatives, as well as businesses seeking employees for technical positions, visit with students. Each year students come away from Agri Night with schol- arships and jobs. "This night is an excellent ex- ample of career and technical ed- ucation preparing students to be college and career ready and offer- ing the knowledge and skills need- ed in order to take the successful next steps from high school," Ho- tsenpiller said. Dave Perozek can be reached at dperozek@nwadg.com or on Twitter @NWADaveP. Workforce v Continued from Page 1T NWA Democrat-Gazette/DAVID GOTTSCHALK Abby Fimbres (left), a freshman at Fayetteville High School, and Jonathon Givens, a sophomore, shoot video of a wrestling practice during their fundamentals of television class at the Fayetteville school. Career/tech: What other districts do Here's some of what Northwest Arkansas' smaller school districts offers for career and technical education: m Decatur shares programming with Gravette and Gentry. Students attend classes in nursing, welding, diesel technolo- gy and heating, ventilation and air conditioning. The agricul- ture program is the district's strongest, said Superintendent Jeff Gravette. m Elkins offers career and technical courses in business/ marketing, agriculture, and family and consumer sciences. This year it is piloting a new program — pathway, supply chain and logistics. Elkins and other districts send students to the South Washington County Career Center at the old Farmington High School, where students take courses in health professions and computer engineering. It's a partner - ship of Northwest Technical Institute and Northwest Arkan- sas Community College. m Gentry last year opened a $2 million, 13,000-square-foot Career and Technical Education Center, the result of public and private cooperation. Programs include health care, infor- mation technology and diesel technology. Northwest Tech- nical Institute and Northwest Arkansas Community College help with instruction. m Gravette offers classes as a satellite campus of the Northwest Technical Institute. Students may get nursing assistant certification, take classes in welding or heating, ventilation and air conditioning. This semester's welding stu - dents come from the Gravette, Decatur, Bentonville, Siloam Springs and Gentry school districts, according to Gravette High School Principal Jay Chalk. m Greenland programs include agriculture, business, and family and consumer sciences. Each program incorporates community partnerships. For example, the agriculture green - house grows plants and vegetables that are sold and some- times used in the cafeteria, according to Superintendent Andrea Martin. Other programs — such as dental hygiene, computer science and welding — involve partnerships with Northwest Arkansas Community College, Northwest Techni- cal Institute and the University of Arkansas. m Pea Ridge launched a conversion charter school in 2014 called the Pea Ridge Manufacturing and Business Academy, a two-year program giving students real-world exposure to careers. Health care and nursing, industrial technology, plas- tic and metal fabrication, and marketing and logistics are the pathways offered. The academy has 162 students. m Siloam Springs has the third-most vocational offerings among Arkansas schools districts, according to Superinten- dent Ken Ramey. The Career Academy of Siloam Springs, opened in 2015, offers instruction in manufacturing trade skills. A new internship program allows high school seniors to work 10 to 15 hours per week in 10 areas of interest. A customer service class gives bilingual students an opportu- nity to practice their English and Spanish skills in business settings through internships to help fill the need for bilingual employees. m West Fork offers four programs of study: Family consum- er science, business education, agricultural science and construction technology. In the family consumer science area, West Fork received a grant from the state this school year to continue a program it started last year, called ori- entation to teaching, in which students may take several education courses. The program gives students field expe- rience in classrooms of district teachers, according to John Crowder, West Fork High School principal. Education ∂ ∂ SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2018 v 3T